1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a procedure for configuring a terminal with user and/or provider-related configuration data, a terminal for a communication device in a packet-mediated network and an address server for a packet-mediated communication network.
2. Background of the Invention
Modern digital terminals often must be equipped with configuration data (configured) before they are first used in a communication network, to assure usage in this communication network commensurate with the purpose. In “classical” conductor-mediated communication networks a terminal was at least basically ready to operate immediately after attachment to a “port” of a communication device or of a public communication system, with no previous configuring; but especially wireless, radio-based ones or those operated in packet-mediated fashion (so-called VoIP terminals; VoIP=Voice·over Internet Protocol) of necessity must be provided with configuration data, which, for one thing, permit identification of the user (N1, N2), and for another, indicate those network nodes via which communication connections are to be carried out, in the case of a GSM mobile telephone (cell phone), these configuration data are entered into the terminal, by putting a so-called SIM card (SIM—subscriber identification module) into the device. On this SIM card the configuration data are then stored which are used by the terminal for contacting a mobile radio base station of the assigned provider.
Also wireless phones, for example DECT terminals (DECT=digital enhanced cordless telephony) must identify themselves to a DECT base station to obtain access to communication connections and network services, if the devices have not been logically connected with each other by the manufacturer, the user (N1, N2) must pair them, for example by inputting of a station code into the terminal.
Also in VoIP terminals, and thus in internet telephony, a terminal, regardless of whether it is a concrete IP phone or appropriately set-up computer hardware, must be provided with configuration data. Thus, for example, the network nodes of a provider, thus for example an H.323 gatekeeper or an SIP proxy server, along with its network address, must be configured in the terminal so that a communication connection can be created. Additionally, in the device a user name and a password must be stored (administered), so that the assigned user can be identified by the network node device. Depending on the communication protocol used, it is precisely in the last-named example that still more “technical data” must be inputted into the terminal, for example regarding the language codes to be used, addresses of address list servers such as the DNS server, directory server, etc.
With use of such digital terminals, it has been shown to be disadvantageous that precisely in those cases in which a technical layman would like to place such a terminal in use, that configuration with correct data is often a nuisance and encumbered by errors.
To get around these disadvantages, many network operators (providers) make available already pre-configured terminals to their customers, which are placed into operation by the customer by simply connecting to their data network, such as a DSL modem or router and by providing a power supply. Great logistical expense, however, is connected with making available such client-specific, pre-configured devices. For this reason, solutions have also become established in which terminals can be made available to the customer that are already pre-adjusted to a specific provider, i.e., that in these devices, the configuration data that are generally valid for the specific provider have been pre-set. In these instances, the customer then inputs a user name and a user identification, and if necessary a password such as a PIN that the provider has made available to him, after which, according to the pre-set configuration data, the terminal creates a connection to a server of the provider and registers itself and the user.
Although the above-named procedure offers a high lever of utilization comfort, it is encumbered with a disadvantage in that a manufacturer of digital terminals who supplies different providers, has to provide a separate version of the terminal for each of these providers, in which the particular valid basic configuration data of the particular provider are already set. In addition, with such a procedure, it must be ensured that at the time the terminal is purchased or placed in operation, the previously pre-set basic configuration data are still current and complete.